Five things we need from Lions for rest of season

AP PhotoThis is the image Matthew Stafford has to avoid to keep hope alive for 2011.

The Lions returned to practice Tuesday after their bye week with ten more games left this season.

At 1-5, this year is already over, but here is what the team needs to do to get ready for 2011.

1) Keep Matthew Stafford Healthy: The franchise quarterback already has two strikes against him. He has missed multiple games in each of his first two seasons. As a matter of fact, he has been healthy for only 11 of his 22 games as a professional player. That is not a confidence-inspiring statistic. One more big hurt this year and fans, teammates, and coaches alike might start considering him injury prone. That will sap support both on and off the field. More than that, Stafford needs to be on the field and in practice to hone his skills and develop the timing that will win the Lions close games instead of losing them.

2) Run The Ball: This could directly contribute to the first item. The Lions average only 3.5 yards per carry and have only four rushing touchdowns this season. All of those scores came from rookie Jahvid Best, which is encouraging, but he had them in the first two weeks of the season. If Detroit cannot be more of a threat on the ground, defenses will continue to key in on the passing game and tee off on the quarterbacks. Balance is the key to keeping opponents off balance and keeping Stafford on the field. These first two items put a lot of the onus on the offensive line.

3) No More Self-Inflicted Wounds: The Lions have already been penalized 59 times this season, just shy of 10 per game. In the last three games they have averaged 11.7 per game. The Lions have also committed 14 turnovers, among the worst in the NFL. Only one of their losses this year has been by more than one score. Learning how to win is one thing, but learning how not to lose might be even tougher for Detroit. It starts right here.

4) Test the Back Seven: Among general manager Martin Mayhew's top priorities next off-season has to be improving the linebacking corps and the secondary. To know exactly what the team has, coach Jim Schwartz has to test the young players in game situations to see who can contribute in the future. Players like Ashlee Palmer, DeAndre Levy, Alphonso Smith and Amari Spievey have to sink or swim in 2010 to see if they deserve to be big pieces of the puzzle in 2011.

5) Win Games: It might seem a bit odd that this is last on the list, but wins and losses are secondary this year. That being said, they can't end the season 1-15 on an 11-game losing streak. There are a handful of teams left on their schedule that are as equally messed up as the Lions, and Detroit needs to beat those teams if they are going to build confidence for 2011.

Ten games to accomplish five things. It is a lot more difficult than it sounds, but the Lions seem to have some of the pieces in place to make it happen.